Dawn FM

The Weeknd Has A Bloody Brawl With His Older Self In The Cinematic ‘Gasoline’ Video

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The Weeknd is moving quickly here in the Dawn FM era. He started 2022 by announcing the album and released it a week later, and he’s already delivered two videos from it: “Sacrifice” and a new one from today for “Gasoline.”

The clip starts with an aged The Weeknd driving in a frantic, low-visibility situation before crashing into a sign. He then finds himself in a surreal club that features hands reaching up from the ground, a tangle of bodies, and young The Weeknd beating up old The Weeknd. There’s more to it than that and the whole thing is a real trip, and a cinematic one at that.

Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never) co-wrote and/or produced most of the songs on Dawn FM, but “Gasoline” is one of a couple tunes from the album (along with the short title track that directly precedes it) that’s a direct collaboration between him and The Weeknd with no other credited writers.

Meanwhile, while the Dawn FM era is just beginning, The Weeknd recently teased the bigger picture when he tweeted the other day, “i wonder… did you know you’re experiencing a new trilogy,” which prompted plenty of fan theories about where Dawn FM fits into things.

Watch the “Gasoline” video above.

Dawn FM is out now via Republic. Get it here.

The Weeknd Suggests ‘Dawn FM’ Is Part Of ‘A New Trilogy’ And Fans Have Theories About What That Means

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The Weeknd Dawn FM Trailer
YouTube

The Weeknd famously launched his career with the 2011 mixtapes House Of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes Of Silence, which were later compiled on Trilogy. Now, The Weeknd suggests that his latest album, Dawn FM, is part of a new trilogy, and fans have ideas about what this new trilogy consists of.

Sharing a photo of himself in his old man makeup today, The wrote, “i wonder… did you know you’re experiencing a new trilogy?”

In response, some fans shared screenshots of a recent post from the r/TheWeeknd subreddit that theorizes The Weeknd’s next album will be called After Life. The post reads, “Many people did not like that ‘Every Angel is Terrifying’ is not a full song, but just a longer skit, but guys please… he literally threw an advertisement for his next album which will be called After Life. After Hours -> Dawn FM (purgatory) -> After Life and After Life will be the closure of the whole new trilogy. In the first track ‘Dawn FM’ when Jim Carrey says ‘enjoy another hour of commercial-free music’ we can hear “‘ree yourself’ and then on ‘Every Angel is Terrifying’ so we get commercial. Abel did not do it accidentally, he marked it on ‘Dawn FM’ to make us pay attention to it. Tell me that i am not the only one who thinks like that. Dawn FM is nearly done, and the After Life is coming guys!”

That’s a theory — that the trilogy started with After Hours and will likely end with an album called After Life — with which others on Twitter seem to agree, so check out some fan posts about it below.

The Weeknd Becomes A Human ‘Sacrifice’ In The Latest Video From ‘Dawn FM’

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The first video from The Weeknd‘s uptempo new album Dawn FM has arrived, bringing with it another musical mystery for fans to unravel. This time around, The Weeknd appears to be playing a new character, who is abducted by a mysterious, dancing cult and used for an eerie ritual in the woozy video for “Sacrifice.”

After being strapped to a huge circular apparatus, The Weeknd is approached by a woman cloaked in red who maybe steals his soul — it sure looks a lot like the scene with the soul-stealing dementors in Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban. We’re only shown glimpses of the effect this has on The Weeknd between strobe-lit performance sequences, but it certainly appears to have been detrimental — I can only assume this is how he got all old and wilted on the album’s off-putting cover art.

Though it’s only been out for a few hours, Dawn FM is already stirring up fans on social media who noticed that the number on the interludes is actually real, although it doesn’t lead to any Easter eggs like the number his collaborator Tyler The Creator gave out promoting Call Me If You Get Lost. Likewise, fans have been intrigued by what sounds like confirmation of those Angelina Jolie dating rumors on “Here We Go Again…”

Anyway, you can get caught up on the latest zany serial narrative from The Weeknd in the “Sacrifice” video above and stream the album here.

The Weeknd Fans Think He Basically Confirmed His Rumored Angelina Jolie Relationship On ‘Dawn FM’

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For months now, it has been rumored that The Weeknd and Angelina Jolie are romantically involved, ever since the pair was spotted going out to dinner back in July. Jolie stoked those flames in the eyes of some when she expertly avoided a question about The Weeknd during an October interview. Now, though, fans think The Weeknd is directly addressing the topic on his new album Dawn FM, as one lyric from the record is being interpreted as being about his supposed love interest.

On “Here We Go… Again,” he sings, “My new girl, she a movie star / I loved her right, make her scream like Neve Campbell / But when I make her laugh, swear it cures my depressin’ thoughts / ‘Cause baby girl, she a movie star.”

After the album’s release, fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts about those words, with plenty of them believing that it essentially confirms a Weeknd/Jolie relationship.

Dawn FM has only been out for a few hours now, but fans have already found plenty of elements to explore. Aside from the Jolie angle, The Weeknd also gives out a phone number on the album, which turns out to be real and not connected to the artist at all.

Listen to “Here We Go… Again” below.

Dawn FM is out now via Republic. Get it here.

The Weeknd Gave Out A Real Phone Number On ‘Dawn FM’ And Fans Are Calling It

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The Weeknd Dawn FM Trailer
YouTube

The Weeknd’s new album Dawn FM has been out for a few hours now, and while fans are enjoying the music, one of the project’s lyrics also inspired some curiosity-driven phone calls. Towards the end of “Every Angel Is Terrifying,” The Weeknd says, “Call 1-800-444-4444 / That’s 1-800-444-4444 now to order ‘After Life.’” Naturally, fans were quick to make note of that number and give it a ring.

However, the number doesn’t lead to any Dawn FM Easter eggs, as The Weeknd has nothing to do with it. In fact, it’s already relatively well-known in its own right and has been for some time: The oldest existing mention of the number online appears to be from a 2003 forum post. Vice noted of the number in 2016, “Perhaps the easiest number you’ll ever dial, this MCI-controlled phone number is perhaps the most prominent example of an ‘automatic number announcement circuit,’ or ANAC number. These numbers, which are generally well-guarded by phone providers, are designed to repeat back to you the number you’re calling from.”

Indeed, when calling the number, a voice says, “Thank you for calling MCI. Our system indicates you are calling from [caller’s phone number]. If this is the number you are calling about, press 1. If not, please listen to the following two options. To enter the number you are calling about, press 2. If you do not have a telephone number currently in service and need to establish a new telephone number, press 3.”

So, if you call 1-800-444-4444 hoping for some sort of Weeknd-related goodie, you’ll come up empty. However, if you do not have a telephone number currently in service and need to establish a new telephone number (which may not be likely considering you’re able to call the number), then today’s your lucky day.

Listen to “Every Angel Is Terrifying” below.

Dawn FM is out now via Republic. Get it here.

The Weeknd And Tyler The Creator Find Themselves In Turmoil On ‘Here We Go… Again’

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Finally, after months of hinting at a new album on the way and teases that warned “a dawn is coming,” The Weeknd has arrived with his latest body of work, Dawn FM. The Weeknd described the album: “Picture the album being like the listener is dead,” he said. “And they’re stuck in this purgatory state, which I always imagined would be like being stuck in traffic waiting to reach the light at the end of the tunnel.” He added, “it could feel celebratory, could feel bleak, however, you want to make it feel.”

You can now explore these possible feelings now that the album is here. Dawn FM’s guest acts include, among others, Tyler The Creator, who joins forces with The Weeknd for the first collaborations of their respective careers on “Here We Go… Again.” The Weeknd begins the song by celebrating his recent wins like performing at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2021. Despite the highlights, he touches on the downfalls of love and having to experience it multiple times, while Tyler echoes those thoughts on through his own verse.

The Weeknd and Tyler The Creator’s collaboration comes after the former shared his desire to work with Tyler last spring. “I got mad love for Tyler, the Creator, and what he’s doing right now. Tyler is funny, man,” The Weeknd said during an interview with GQ. The singer added, “He’s somebody that I really admire because he wears his feelings on his sleeve.”

Dawn FM checks in at 16 songs with additional features from Jim Carrey, Quincy Jones, Lil Wayne, and Oneohtrix Point Never.

You can listen to “Here We Go… Again” in the video above.

Dawn FM is out now via Republic Records. Get it here.

Stream The Weeknd’s New Album ‘Dawn FM’

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The Weeknd Dawn FM Album Cover Crop
Republic

The Weeknd has wasted no time in 2022 to release his fifth studio album, Dawn FM, which is officially out into the world and now streaming. The album features appearances from Quincy Jones, Tyler The Creator, Lil Wayne, Oneohtrix Point Never, and believe it or not, even actor Jim Carrey.

In the lead up to Dawn FM, a trailer described it as “A new sonic universe from the mind of the weekend.” While no singles were released ahead of time, the entire project is now streaming everywhere and you can listen to it here:

The online shop for the album is also live, and it features multiple different physical editions of the album including two separate “Collector’s Vinyl” copies with alternate album artwork. The album cover of a gray-haired Abel Tesfaye looking much older than he actually is, has become an instantly notorious image.

Stream The Weeknd’s new album, Dawn FM, above and check out the tracklist, album art and collector’s vinyl artwork below.

The Weeknd Dawn FM
The Weeknd

1. “Dawn FM”
2. “Gasoline”
3. “How Do I Make You Love Me?”
4. “Take My Breath”
5. “Sacrifice”
6. “A Tale By Quincy”
7. “Out Of Time”
8. “Here We Go… Again”
9. “Best Friends”
10. “Is There Someone Else?”
11. “Starry Eyes”
12. “Every Angel Is Terrifying”
13. “Don’t Break My Heart”
14. “I Heard You’re Married”
15. “Less Than Zero”
16. “Phantom Regret By Jim”

The Weeknd Doesn’t Care That First-Week ‘Dawn FM’ Sales Will Be Impacted By No Physical Editions

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First-week sales of a new album is a metric that most major artists place a lot of value on; Having a big debut is good for a project’s chart prospects and moving a lot of copies of an album early gives some major bragging rights. That doesn’t matter to The Weeknd, though, as he declared in a reply to a Twitter thread suggesting that the first-week sales of Dawn FM will be negatively impacted because no physical editions of the album will be available upon its release. (The Weeknd’s online store notes that CD editions of Dawn FM are set to ship on January 28, while vinyl and cassette versions will ship on April 29.)

The thread in question reads, “No physical copies (vinyls, CDs, cassettes) for @theweeknd’s ‘Dawn FM’ will be available in store during release week. Furthermore, no physical copies will be shipped the first week. This will obviously impact first week figures. The reason is likely that The Weeknd pushed the release up. Therefore, physicals aren’t ready for distribution.”

It then points to The Weeknd’s New Year’s Day Instagram post to back up its claim about the supposedly advanced release date. In that post, The Weeknd wrote, “Music can heal and that feels more important than another album rollout. Let’s just drop the whole thing and enjoy it with the people.”

The Weeknd caught wind of this thread and noted in response, “this doesn’t matter to me. what matters is getting to experience the album together with the fans during these times.”

All of that said, Dawn FM shouldn’t have a problem being the biggest new album of the week, as its primary competition for that title may be Gunna’s Drip Season 4.

Dawn FM is out 1/7 via Republic. Pre-order it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Weeknd Unveils The ‘Dawn FM’ Tracklist In A New Teaser Video

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The Weeknd Dawn FM Trailer
YouTube

The Weeknd has so far spent this week incrementally sharing information about his upcoming album Dawn FM, which comes out on Friday. He officially announced the project on Monday, shared the album cover yesterday, and today, he unveiled the album’s tracklist in a new teaser video.

While the tracklist as revealed today doesn’t indicate which artists are featured on which songs, some of the titles are indicative of their collaborators: “A Tale By Quincy” and “Phantom Regret By Jim” appear to be collaborations with Quincy Jones and Jim Carrey, respectively. Also previously announced to be appearing on the album are Tyler The Creator, Lil Wayne, and Oneohtrix Point Never.

Speaking of Carrey, the new video unveils another voiceover from the actor, as he can be heard saying, “God knows life is chaos, but he made one thing true: You got to unwind your mind, train your soul to align, and dance until you find that divine boogaloo.”

Also worth noting as that since pre-order links for the album first went live yesterday, The Weeknd’s online store has been updated to include various physical editions of the album, including some with alternate art that has an aesthetic similar to that of recent Oneohtrix Point Never releases.

Watch the Dawn FM tracklist reveal clip above and find the full tracklist below.

1. “Dawn FM”
2. “Gasoline”
3. “How Do I Make You Love Me?”
4. “Take My Breath”
5. “Sacrifice”
6. “A Tale By Quincy”
7. “Out Of Time”
8. “Here We Go… Again”
9. “Best Friends”
10. “Is There Someone Else?”
11. “Starry Eyes”
12. “Every Angel Is Terrifying”
13. “Don’t Break My Heart”
14. “I Heard You’re Married”
15. “Less Than Zero”
16. “Phantom Regret By Jim”

Dawn FM is out 1/7 via Republic. Pre-order it here.

The Weeknd Announces The ‘103.5 Dawn FM’ Livestream Experience With Amazon Music

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After months of teasing his upcoming sixth album, The Weeknd finally revealed its title and release date earlier this week. It’s called Dawn FM and it’s set to arrive this Friday, January 7, less than two years after his 2020’s After Hours. He also revealed that Jim Carrey, Quincy Jones, Tyler The Creator, Lil Wayne, and Oneohtrix Point Never will all appear as guest acts. And he unveiled its cover art which portrays him as a grey-haired old man. With days until Dawn FM arrives, The Weeknd returned with another announcement.

In partnership with Amazon Music, The Weeknd will hold a livestream experience called 103.5 Dawn FM in support of the new album. The show will air on the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch as well as on the Amazon Music App. A flyer for the livestream reveals that The Weeknd will head to “somewhere in Los Angeles” to hold the show. It begins on January 6 12am ET / 9pm ET, which is exactly when Dawn FM will drop.

In a press release about the event, The Weeknd said, “The power of the 103.5 Dawn FM experience is that maximum fulfillment comes when all who hear it are tuned in at the same time.”

Dawn FM is out 1/7 via Republic Records. Pre-save it here.